Harbingers Of The End
by RogueFreedom890
Summary: After his defeat of Aizen, Ichigo fell into a rut. Life lost its luster for him, until Isshin forced him into the Beta for Sword Art Online. Dragged into this new world of wonder, what will the game drag him through after told he will live and die there? Will he survive until the game's end? Or will he die as just another face in the crowd? [Adopted From Ichifell]
1. Chapter 1

WooHoo! Chapter 1 of Harbringers Of The End! This chapter was not written by me but by Ichifell who was kind enough to let me continue this story. Check out his account and I Hope You Enjoy! :3 Couldn't think of a name for this chapter so if anyone has any ideas please let me know. 

"Ichigo. Iiiichigo. Iiiiichiiiigoooo!" Isshin was calling out, prodding his son in his face. Each poke increased the number of tic marks on Ichigo's head as he tried to ignore his father before he snapped.

"What!?" Ichigo shouted, backhanding his dad clean off his feet. "What do you want, old man!"

"Nice hit, son!" He said in a playfully serious voice before going entirely playful. "Anyways, guess what I got to get you out of your moping!" And without waiting for a response, Isshin whipped out a box with a head device...thing on the front and a game that didn't look familiar to him. "I got you the beta version of this game called Sword Art Online for the Nerve Gear!"

"The what for the who now?" Ichigo said with a blank look. "And I am not moping!"

Isshin just looked at him. "Ichigo, you are moping. You barely talk to your old friends, you lock yourself up in your room doing nothing all day, and your grades are dragging behind as well. So, I figured that you need something to take your mind off of things, and this is it!" He then brandished the game and Nerve Gear with an excited look. "Through a process I could not even begin to understand, this device takes your mind into the game where you then control an avatar like your would your own body! And the game, of which is currently in Beta, is all about swordplay, so I figure that would be right down your alley!"

Ichigo just sighed, taking the game and system from his dad. "Whatever, might as well give it a try. I hate to say this, but you do have a point after all." And having had said his piece, Ichigo walked up the stairs and out of earshot of Isshin. Said man's face grew deadly serious.

 _'I am sorry for what I am dragging you into, Ichigo, but they will need you when the time comes.'_ Isshin whispered to himself before shaking his head.

 **(XoxoX)**

 _'He really does have a point though.'_ Ichigo thought to himself as he plopped himself on his bed ' _Ever since I lost my powers to seal up Aizen, nothing has been the same. I can't see my friends without being reminded of how weak I am, of how I can't protect them, and it has been affecting my sleep as well.'_ He then looked down at the game by his side. _'Well, can't hurt to try it out, can it?'_ Making up his mind, Ichigo opened his game first, reading through the manual so he didn't go in uninformed, before pulling the box for his NerveGear up. Pulling the device out, he plugged it in as he read the instructions. _'Okay, so I have to power this on through a button on the side like so...then I have to put it on and touch where it says so it can calibrate to by body...'_ He read to himself, following the instructions explicitly. ' _Now I just put the disk in through this slot here and...'_ "Link Start!"

He had a sense of vertigo as everything turned white before various colored boxes came flying up and past him. Five blue orbs then appeared on-screen, taking up most of it, before moving to the side then launching off-screen, all of them having turned green.

(What is your chosen name?)

The words appeared before him and Ichigo gave it no thought, maneuvering his hands over the keyboard in front of him. He simply put his name in before moving on, creating an account for himself. The game then made him adjust his character, and he chose to make it look like he did after the Dangai training, as it was the exact look he chose to keep afterwards. With the final set-up complete, he was forcefully entered the game in a flash of light, causing him to cover his eyes.

When he felt it was okay to open them again, Ichigo's jaw dropped. It was as if he was in another dimension entirely. The world's quality was almost lifelike, every building surrounding him looking like it was detailed extensively. His blood was pumping and he could not deny that he couldn't wait to at least begin the game now. As he moved through the town aimlessly, he came to a large open courtyard with a massive fountain in the center. Above the fountain, in huge letters, was something that made him smile.

(Welcome, Ichigo, to the grand world of Aincrad!)

(A world of wonder, adventure, and enjoyment right at your fingertips!)

(Here, you start in the Town of Beginnings, but you will work your way to the top!)

(Have fun, young explorer, and fight your way to the top!)

"They really pulled no stops with this game, did they?" Ichigo rhetorically asked out loud before jumping when he got a response.

"Indeed, new player Ichigo." A female voice said from behind him. Swerving around, he saw a girl with three red whisker marks below each eye and dark brown hair.

"Who are you?" Ichigo said, causing the girl to laugh. "And how did you know I was new?"

"My name, if you look right above me, is Argo, and I revolve around information. As to how I know you are new, well, you have several factors pointing to it. The first is that you are a new face entering the Beta two weeks into the start of it, and then there's the fact that you are so enraptured in the graphics."

"Ichigo blushed lightly at how easily he was read before talking again. "Well, you know my name and that I am new, so what do you want with me if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, I figured that you would want some help, considering that I have two weeks of experience on you." She said while stifling her laugh. "And since there is no better information broker out there, I figured I would be best to help!"

"You just happened to stumble upon me and found me interesting, didn't you?" Ichigo deadpanned, causing Argo to laugh and look away while scratching her cheek. "Well, help would be nice. So, first of all, where do I get a weapon?"

"Right this way!" Argo exclaimed, dragging Ichigo by the arm. "If you don't mind me asking, what kind of sword do you want to use?"

"Ichigo, while running behind her to not get dragged, thought for a moment. "A two-handed sword would be preferable, though a smaller daito would work as well."

"Ah, so you are a strength kind of player, one who does the most damage you can per strike!" She exclaimed. "In that case, we just need to get you a great-sword to begin with! I can let you borrow some money, but..." She trailed off, hinting at something.

"But I would owe you a favor, wouldn't I?" Ichigo said, sighing a little. "Fine, fine, I will give you a favor in exchange."

"Ah ah ah, you must agree that I can use this favor whenever or wherever I desire." She said, laying it on a bit thicker.

"Fine!" Ichigo yelled. "The favor will be under your conditions, just let me borrow what I need, okay?"

Argo's eyes got an excited gleam as they ran up to the vendor she knew would be perfect for him. Turning to him after manipulating her menu some, a pouch of gold appeared in her hand as she moved it to him. "Alright, here's two thousand gold to boost the thousand you already start with, spend it wisely!"

Grunting in acceptance, Ichigo took the pouch and interacted with the vendor's NPC. He scanned through quickly, seeing a standard looking zweihänder by the name of [Death Steel]. The purchase, however, took up half of his funds.

Okay, now where is an armor vendor?" Ichigo asked, craning his neck to search for another NPC.

"Um...right next to you. " Argo said, a sweatdrop forming on her head while she pointed to a small child that was right behind him. Ichigo just grumbled a little as he looked through the small child's wares. He settled on a very basic cloth outfit, using the minimum speed penalty that comes with it. It was just a black pair of shorts and shirt, but Argo gave an appreciative whistle. "Well, with all that out of the way, let's get you some training!" And she took off, leaving Ichigo in the dust.

"Oye!" He shouted, running as fast as his stats would let him. He was only met with mocking laughter as he chased after the ratty girl, a smile of his own mimicking Argo's.

Though she was clearly faster than him, Argo slowed down to a speed to let Ichigo keep up, allowing a fair chase through the Town of Beginnings, all the way out to the fields that were just filled with pigs. When Ichigo made it to the field ten seconds behind Argo, he saw her in a wide stance, an arm extended out to the pigs. "These are the first monster you will fight!" She said, a grin on her face. "All you really have to do here is strike and dodge with your sword, simple as can be!"

"Nodding, Ichigo manipulated his own menu to equip [Death Steel], then squared off against a pig. A couple of seconds passed, with Ichigo staring intently at the pig with his sword at his side, before he rushed out, swinging the sword in an upward diagonal slash, bisecting the pig in a single blow.

"Nice job. You used a skill move on your first try!" Argo said, clapping at him before getting serious. "Remember though, at the end of each skill move there is a small cool down period where you cannot move. It varies per move, but it leaves you very open." She then stretched out before using her menu again. In front of Ichigo opened a box. It was a simple blue box, with a green checkmark and a red X in the center, and it read [Do you accept Argo's friend request?].

Ichigo looked at her in curiosity, silently inquiring her about the decision, and she quickly answered him. "How can I cash in this favor you owe me if I am unable to find you, Ichigo?" The answer came out in a mock-condescending way, and Ichigo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly./p

"Okay, you have a point there." He conceded before accepting the request.

"Well, see you later!" She said. "I have to go now, but we will talk later, okay?"

"Got it, Argo." Ichigo said with a smile, waving as she faded out of the game. He then turned his attention to the pigs that needed wiping out before letting out a war cry, charging at them./p

 **(Timeskip: Two Months Later)**

Since Ichigo began the game, everyone noticed the improvement of his mood. He was more active again, talking to his friends once more, but he was also notably addicted to the game. Every day, for hours on end, Ichigo would play Sword Art Online. He wasted time talking to Argo while completing quests with an intense fervor. He quickly rose up in the ranks of Beta Testers, becoming one of the top leveled characters due to his experience with swords and having access to all the information in the game from Argo.

And much to their surprise, Ichigo and Argo became close friends as the weeks went by as they talked more outside of information transactions. Even with Argo's impish nature, Ichigo found her to be a joy to talk to, and the deeper insight Ichigo had on the world had kept Argo's attention, getting her to know him more than most had.

All too soon, however, the Beta came to an end. On the last day, Ichigo and Argo ran through the last floor that got opened, floor 10, rushing to the boss room. With grins deeply ingrained on their avatar's faces, they ran up to the boss and slashed away haphazardly, chipping down its health ever so slowly before it retaliated, decimating the both of them in a quick combo.

When they re-spawned in the floor's town, both were laughing, patting each other on the back for their complete fail, drawing confused looks from the surrounding players.

"Ah, that was fun, Argo!" Ichigo said with mirth before sobering. "But it sucks that today is the last we have."

"Oh, don't say that!" Argo replied, slapping him on the arm. "We just have to wait two months before the real thing comes out! And you can't forget, you still owe me that favor from when we first met!"

"You still remember that? Darn, I hoped otherwise." Ichigo said, kicking a pebble on the road while smirking. "Well, I guess we will just have to friend each other once the game comes out!"

"So we can't change our character's names, okay?" Argo declared, holding a hand up high.

"Of course!" And as they gave one final high-five, the game auto-booted everyone out of the game. Ichigo was immediately met with the screen of the Nerve Gear, lying on his bed while contemplating the months to come. Silently, he pulled the helmet on his head off, setting it aside before blowing a saddened sigh from his lungs.

He then slid himself on to his feet off the bed he laid upon. Stretching his arms, Ichigo walked down the stairs to the living room, walking in to see everyone watching a movie. Silently, Ichigo moved to sit down in the only open seat, right next to Isshin. When he was comfortably seated, Isshin began whispering to him. _"The beta is over?"_

 _"Yeah."_ Ichigo whispered, not taking his eyes off the TV.

 _"You know that you are automatically getting the game when it comes out, right?"_ Isshin quietly said, causing Ichigo's eyes to flair wide open when the teen turned to his dad.

 _"Seriously? I thought I was going to have to buy it."_

 _"Yup. Perks to being a beta tester, And from what I know, you also get special equipment when you begin the game based on how you played."_

 _"Useful."_ Ichigo replied before paying strict attention to the movie.

 _'I hope you forgive me when the time comes, Ichigo. I know that you can do it, I just hope not too many people die before it is over with.'_ Isshin thought with a grim look.

And as the two months came and went, SAO was all Ichigo thought about. He dreamed about being able to see his friend Argo again, about clearing through every single level of the game and fighting the final boss in an epic struggle. He counted each day down, slowly getting more hyped as the release date came, till the day before. In his excitement, Ichigo refused to sleep that night, planning on skipping school for the first day of the release just so that he could play longer.

He had waited in line for hours, standing at the front because of his rank as a beta tester, and was getting glittery with excitement. _'Soon.'_ He thought to himself. ' _Soon I shall be slaying monsters again, completing quests while gaining amazing gear, and playing with Argo.'_ Ichigo, nearly in bliss at the thought of returning to the game, almost missing the line shift forward as the doors opened up.

Startled, Ichigo ran back up to his spot behind the guy in the front of the line, his heart racing twenty miles an hour, and stepped up when the guy left. Pulling out a receipt, he impatiently waited for the guy to confirm the details before sprinting out the door with his game in hand, never slowing down even as he got in his house, past his family, straight to his room. Cracking open his game, Ichigo inserted it to the NerveGear and put the helmet on, and watched as the familiar lights passed him by, bringing up a log-in screen. Inserting his old information, Ichigo closed his eyes as a weird feeling of vertigo overtook him.

He then opened his eyes ever so slowly when the feeling passed and grinned wider then even Kenpachi could when in a blood-rage. All around him was the beautiful sights of the Town of Beginnings, constantly being punctuating by the burst of pixels as more players joined in. with a merry laugh, Ichigo ran with his arms outstretched, swerving around players and jumping over various vendors.

Ichigo's run was suddenly stopped as a burst of pixels appeared before him, with a very familiar face stepping out from the light. Caught up in the adrenaline of his run, Ichigo ran up to this avatar, hugging the person with all his worth while laughing. She laughed as well, but pried his arms off of her, before turning and facing him. "Well that was quite the welcome!" She said, chuckling as Ichigo blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, sorry Argo. I was just caught in the moment." The laughter slowly died off and Ichigo finally noticed a binging noise, indicating he had a notification. Seeing that Argo saw it to, they clicked their notification icons, their jaws dropping at what they saw. The equipment they had before the beta ended was sitting in front of them. The message that came with the items read as this:

 **[As a rewards for beta testing this game, we have**

 **awarded you the equipment from**

 **your time playing in the beta**

 **as well as a bonus amount of cash.**

 **Thank you for helping make this game as excellent as it is now!]**

"You seeing this too, Argo?" Ichigo asked with his eyes widened as far as they could go.

"Uh huh." Came her muted reply, in a similar state of shock. However, her brain kicked into gear first. "But, it seems rather suspicious to me. I think it would be better to use the gold for starter equipment first."

"That may be a good idea." Ichigo mused before closing his menu.

"Damn right it is, it was mine!" Argo said with a cocky grin, making Ichigo roll his eyes at her. "Come on, let's get our old starting equipment." She punctuated her comment by walking off without waiting for him. A passerby snickered, commenting on how he was "so whipped," causing Ichigo to grumble in annoyance before stalking off after her.

Not even thirty minutes later, they stood in front of the gates, armed as well as any new player could be, and began their assault upon the unsuspecting blue pigs that roamed the field outside of the beginning area.

Anyone watching them would not believe they were merely beginners. They moved fluidly from move to move, dancing the dark, yet beautiful, dance of death, cutting apart anything that got in the way. Ichigo would slide in, slashing off a large chunk of a mob's health with a two-handed sword with Argo coming in, clawing down the rest of the monster's health with her clawed weapons in a small frenzy, with Ichigo then moving on with a small combo. The dance only ended when there was no more mobs left, and they used this time to catch their breath and check the loot they got before going back into the fray, restarting their dance.

It didn't take long for the both of them to level up, to share a smile, and continue their grind. Several hours passed before the grind ended out of necessity. Their gear was at the breaking point, they were running low on energy, and both were hungry. As they brushed non-existent sweat of their brows, they were surprised by the small crowd that had gathered. Then they all began to clap, sending them through a loop. A guy with black, shaggy hair, a suave look, and dressed in basic gear then walked down to them, extending a hand out to Ichigo. "That was amazing!" The guy exclaimed. "You must be those beta tester, Ichigo and Argo, right?"

Ichigo tilted his head at the question, taking the guy's hand. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"I was a beta tester too. Name's Kirito." The guy said while pulling his hand back. "You two were famous back then because of your flawless teamwork." He then paused before talking again. "Well, that and the fact you both lead nearly every boss charge was also a rather large reputation booster."

Argo then bopped her hand in the other, as if remembering something. "Ah, right! You were one of my most common customers, weren't you?" The guy merely nodded his head in confirmation. "Nice to see another beta so early on."

He merely laughed and made to talk once again, only to be interrupted by everyone bursting into pixels, reforming back at the center of the Town of Beginnings. Confusion was the most widespread emotion, noted mostly by the loud cries of the surrounding people. There was a loud chatter going on, only to meet sudden silence when the bell on the tower of the town's church began going off. The sky was then filled with large red hexagons, with the words[Attention] and [Urgent Message] flitting on each panel.

Then, the fountain began to flow blood-red water up into the sky, slowly shaping into the form of a giant, blood-red entity whose face was hidden from sight. A quiet mutter went through the crowd at its appearance when it began to speak.

"Welcome, players, to my world of Aincrad!"

So, how was it? Should you have any problems or concerns, just send me a review! Well, only inquire about something if you have a profile. Guests should just give me a critique. Oh, and before anyone asks, there will be no harem, just Ichigo and Argo. This is set in steel people, so don't bother trying.


	2. Chapter 2

**OMG! DO U SEE DIS SHIAZ! AHAHHAHAHAA CHAPTER 2 WTF! Ha! Here is chapter 2 of Harbingers Of The End! I had a lot of difficulty writing this chapter so Gomen'nasi. I just couldn't get any inspiration. But Anyway I Hope You Enjoy! :3**

 **0o0o0o0**

"Welcome, players, to my world of Aincrad!" the man in the blood-red cloak had his arms raised to the side as he spoke, there were many confused mumbles but most just thought it was a part of the opening ceremony.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kirito mumbled under his before the giant red cloaked figure spoke again. "My name is Akihiko Kayaba and at this moment I am in control of this world." There were a few shocked gasps at his announcement but they were quickly replaced by confused looks, the cloaked figure-now known as Akihiko Kayaba- lowered one of his arms as he began to make a gesture with his raised arm. "I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus - the log-out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect." The gesture he had made was the one that players use to bring up their menu, many people froze while some people spread whispers, many of them panic-driven. "This is how 'Sword Art Online' was designed to be."

'What the hell have I got myself into?!' Ichigo thought to himself.

"You cannot log yourselves out of SAO nor can anyone remove your NerveGear from your head. If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into you skull and thus ending your life." There were murmurs throughout the crowd such as "How is that possible?! He's kidding right? That's total B.S! This game sucks!" One brave soul in the crowd stood tall and began to walk towards the arched pillars, ready to leave. "Let's get out of here." the man growled, only to stuble back as he hit an invisable wall. "Hey, i can't get out!"

"He's not lieing." Kirito said, a slight tremble in his voice. "The transmitter's signals in the headgear work just like microwaves. If the safety's disabled, it could fry your brain." Ichigo looked shocked, "Couldn't someone cut the power or...?"

Kirito shook his head. "That won't work. The NerveGear's got an internal battery."

Either ignoring the scared screams and sobs or oblivious to them the madman in complete control spoke over them with ease, "Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. Theu've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world."

Two hundred thriteen?!" Kirito asked, shocked. The red clad man paused as a few rectangular screens popped out of nowhere and revolved around him slowly, on the screens were different news channels."As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everthing, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best." the giant man said in a nonchalant tone.

"I hope this brings you comfort as you attempt to clear the game." there was an eerie silence before someone in the crowd of frightened players shouted up to Akihiko. "Like hell we are gonna clear the game now!" Among the crowd there were a few agreeing shouts and nods before the GM of the game continued.

"It's important to remember the following: There is no longer a way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system... forever. And the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain."

Many people were openly crying now, their sobs filling the crimson dome. "There is only one way for a player to escape now," Kayaba continued, "you must clear the game. Right now you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boos on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

Confused and angry whispers rang throughout the plaza.

"Clear? What's he talking about? Why should we believe any of the crap you're saying?! We can't clear all 100 floors... That's freaking impossible... even the beta testers never made it that high!

The last statement - made by a man with bright red, shoulder-length hair and an equally red bandana - cut through the whispers as the shocking truth just in front of Kirito, Argo and I. The three of us kept our gazes firmly fixed on the ground as we nodded our heads slowly in unison.

"Last but not least, i've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look."

'A mirror?' Ichigo thought, unconsiciously mimicing Kirito's. The orange-haired swordsman twirled it about in his hands and was about to put it away until he heard a scream next to him. Argo had began to glow a brilliantly bright blue, and Ichigo had to turn away from his friend if he didn't want to go blind.

"Argo!" He screamed before glowing himself, letting out a grunt at the overwhelming light.

When the light finally faded every player was exactly where they were before, standing confused. Ichigo quickly turned to Argo to see if she was OK only to find himself staring at a complete stranger.

"Argo?" Ichigo asked, his brow furrowing as confusion burrowed deeper into his brain. "Ichigo?" The young girl asked, in an equally confused voice. Instead of the ash-blonde girl Ichigo had known for the past two months, there now stood a young girl with beautiful amber eyes and golden blonde, shoulder length hair.

Looking around Ichigo saw that every player in the plaza had changed, and looking at the mirror he saw that he too had changed. Instead of his normal avatar that he had grown used too he saw that his hair had shortened in length, now reaching just past his chin, his sharp amber eyes which he could not change at the start of the game returning to their normal brown colour and he easily gained a few inches in height.

This was him. Not some avatar but the real world him.

Realisising this he turned to the blonde girl and asked once more, "Argo?!" Argo's eyes widened at she replied to her friend. "You actually have orange hair!?"

"Haha, laugh it up." Ichigo replied with an eye-roll, before turning to Kirito - who was talking with the red bandana man(1) from earlier - and seeing that he could be no older than 14.

Ichigo tuned in just in time for the man - now known as Klein - to ask why?

"I think he's about ot tell us." Kirito replied before gesturing to Akihiko.

"Right now, you are probably wondering why. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason i created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design."

Murmurs rang out through the crowd as GM continued.

"As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the officical launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." And suddenly he began to dissapear, along with the red hexagonal attention warnings.

There was a stunned silence as the players began to process what was going on. and suddenly a pin was pulled and everyone exploded into chaos. People were screaming, some trying to find there friends, others screaming to the heavens at Kayaba.

Ichigo, sensing the oncoming panic, grabbed Argo's hand and sprinted to the edge of the plaza. The former shinigami turned to his friend, "We have to go help calm the people. There are children no older than 12 playing." He turned, ready to go help create a sense of peace when Argo grabbed his hand, twirling him back around.

"We can't!" She insisted. "There's nothing you can do! We're best going on our own to the next town and gathering [XP]."

"You want me to leave those kids? I can't! There alone and scared!" Confusion and horror laced his tone.

"Please Ichigo!" She pleaded. "I don't want to leave with out you."

Ichigo shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "I..." He tried but couldn't decide. Looking back at his friend, he saw the desperation on her petite, whiskered face. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them, having decided.

"Argo I'll..."

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED**_

 **0o0o0o0**

 **Ha! Cliffhanger. Sorry guys but I haven't decide what to do with this couple yet. Soooo Poll! Just review what you want to happen to these two lovable characters out of these three choices:**

 **1: Ichigo leaves with Argo to go to the next town.**

 **2: Argo stays with Ichigo to calm the people**

 **3: Argo leaves for the next town while Ichigo stays to calm the people**

 **Hope You enjoyed this long awaited chapter!**

 **Thx Guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Argo I..." Ichigo began before looking at his friends face. He was only slightly distracted as a black and red blur passed by him to the outer rim of the court. He shook his head once more. "Argo, I'm sorry. I can't leave till I help them." He finished determindly.

"Ichigo, we're Beta-tester! We know the best places to hunt. We need the levels to survive." She spoke hotly, but the ex-shinigami could see the desperation swimming in her eyes.

"And we will still know those places tomorrow." He looked to her before continueing in a softer tone. "Argo I don't want to do this by myself, please just stay and then we can high tail it to the next town in a few hours."

Argo looked ready to argue but she stopped short, staring into his eyes. She saw what others failed to see, beneath that cool, calm aura that he radiated Argo could see the lonliness in his eyes and she swore her heart cracked. With a mighty sigh she smiled at his determination before speaking.

"Fine, but you're treatin' me to dinner later alright?"

Argo got a smirk in response. "Why do I feel like you're gonna squander all my Col from me."

"Leave my presence! Before I change my mind worthless peasant!" She cackled maniacally before shoving Ichigo towards the front of the terrified players both young and old.

Standing on the rim of a beautiful fountain, it's stone pires shooting out water that glittered in the slowly disappearing sun as it fell, Ichigo could only stare out at the despair in forlorn silence.

Men were pushing and shoving their way out, screaming at anyone in their way. Many women began to break down, the weight of this new reality crushing them while the remaining few felt their maternal sides come out as they tried to console the heartbroken children.

 **(AN - I'm not sexist, I am a woman but I feel men would lash out in anger at anyone and anything whereas women would suffer more silently.)**

Ichigo looked to his left, to where Argo stood and gained support from the beatiful glow her caramel eyes gave out. He shook himself, hardening his expression before adressing the crowd.

"Hey! Quiet!"

Almost immediately everyone settled down, which slightly unnerved the swordsman before he powered on.

"Do you all _seriously_ think all this fighting is gonna acomplish anything!? Cause it ain't."

The crowd began to regress slightly, the children beggining to cry once more before Ichigo sighed wearily and he continued not unkindly.

"Look, I know it's hard. Hell, I'm surprised at how well everyone is acting at the moment but the worst thing anyone can do at this moment is be afraid, we have all been trapped inside this game together so we have to look after one another."

Murmers spread throughout the group as Argo smiled at Ichigo in support.

"It's alright to be afraid, but you can't allow that to fuel your actions. This game is called Sword Art Online, swords are everything here but if you allow fear to control you then that is all your blade will resonate with and you will die."

The swordsman sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he looked out at the scared crowd before his eyes zeroed in on a small boy, around the age of 12 with long black hair clutching a young girl around the same age with ash-blonde hair. His face immediantly softened.

"A man once told me that my blade resonated only with fear. That when I countered, I feared being killed. When I attacked I feared killing. When I protected someone I feared letting them die. This goes for all of you."

With a heavy sigh he pulled his sword from his back and stabbed it into the ground. He stared at the beauty in it's deadly edges while marking how different it was from Zangetsu. Ichigo smiled wistfully.

"Guess I can't ever escape you old man." He said softly. He gazed out at the crowd determined.

"Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate."

"Never accept this life as your own. Every sense is fake. Each chirp of birds you hear. Every bit of warmth from the sun you feel. It's all fake. But one day I promise you, I promise that we _will_ make it home! I swear to you! On my blood and pride and honour! This I swear!"

He finished his speach staring out at the group and saw the change. Each and every one of them now looked ready.

Ichigo still saw that weariness from the days hardships but he also saw the impact his words created. Someone in the crowd began cheering and before he knew it the whole plaza was, swords were shining in the sun as the clouds retreated and they were lifted into the air.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile. 'Guess those words had the same impact on them as they did on me, huh old man.'

He studied the sword and how the metal gleamed in the light, and he swore he saw a cloaked man staring back.

Ichigo glanced at Argo and saw her wiping at her eyes slightly before he turned away again, this time towards the sky. He raised a hand to his chest and clenched his shirt where his heart lay.

'I can feel it. It's not raining anymore.'

 **0o0o0**

 **I know this chapter is short, it was originally gonna be longer but I thought if I continued on after that last part then it would take away the emotional awakening of sorts for Ichigo. Have no fear, to make up for it i'm gonna be uploading chapter 4 real soon.**

 **Also for those that didn't get it, the two kids were supposed to represent Yuzu and Karin, the first part of the speech about his blade resonating with fear was originally by Kisuke Urahara and the last part was spoken by Zangetsu.**

 **The next chapter will be about setting up a place for the kids and the rag tag duo finally leaving.**

 **Hope ya'all enjoyed it ^w^**


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